BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- In the year marking its 40th anniversary, China's reform and opening-up has continued to make great achievements, continuously leading the country to a brighter future.

In 1978, the Communist Party of China (CPC) made the historic decision of going for reform and opening-up.

Based on a profound grasp of the future of the Party and the country as well as deep understanding of the people's aspirations and needs, it was destined to be a major turning point that led China to the path of rejuvenation from the crossroads.

In 2018, a key year for China to secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the reform and opening-up, a unique pathway discovered and developed by the country, is again proved a success.

Facing various uncertainties around the world and heavy work at home, China has achieved an overall stable performance and progress in its economic development with the people enjoying an increasingly improved life by upholding a new vision for development and focusing on the supply-side structural reform.

Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, joint efforts have been made all over the country to forestall and defuse major risks, carry out targeted poverty alleviation, as well as prevent and control pollution. The people have enjoyed a greater sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

In 2018, a string of financial regulatory policies have been introduced, with the current financial risks generally retreating. More than 10 million people have been lifted out of poverty as estimated. The density of PM2.5, a key indicator of air pollution, dropped by 7.5 percent in Chinese cities in the first 10 months in 2018 compared with the year before.

With the principle of "one country, two systems" implemented, Hong Kong and Macao have integrated their own development more into the overall development of the country, and the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the process toward the peaceful reunification of China has been promoted.

With a clear direction, China has been dealing with the challenges in different areas, remaining calm and sober-minded, and continues to contribute to the development of the world.

As China opens up wider, it has provided more of its proposals and wisdom to the world on different occasions in the past year, including the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit, the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the first China International Import Expo, all of which were held in China and participated in by countries around the globe.

While celebrating the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up this year, the Chinese people are showing the world that they are closer than ever to their goal of national rejuvenation, with unprecedented confidence and capability.

Over the past four decades, the reform and opening-up has brought China from the brink of economic collapse to world's second-largest economy, with about 740 million people lifted out of poverty and the total trade volume of import and export goods rising by more than 3 trillion U.S. dollars.

On its way forward, China has also made where it is going and how to reach its goals more clear during its deepened reform and opening-up, which will allow China to enjoy more promising prospects.